The rediscovery of J D Emmanuel by critics and audience in the early 2010s and Emmanuel's comeback to underground scene were crucial in reweaving the development of electronic music in the early '80s. This deluxe three-LP set casts new light on Emmanuel's first activity of composing and performing electronic music in 1979-'83, collecting experiments never before released on vinyl, some of which are previously unreleased in any form. Certainly seminal minimal works such as Four Organs (1970) and Violin Phase (1967) by Steve Reich and A Rainbow in Curved Air by Terry Riley (1969) -- as well as Cluster, Harmonia, and Peter Michael Hamel's early-'70s work -- had a decisive impact on Emmanuel's debut. However, since his beginnings he has reshaped and reformulated his sources of inspiration with unparalleled maturity and accuracy of vision. His poetry is closely tied to the will to expand consciousness and explore altered states, but more than a cosmic traveler, he appears as a courier of soul and heart -- a self-described "student of the metaphysical nature of the Universe." Magician of an incredible variety of analog keyboards, Emmanuel conceives sound as dynamic translation of forces and organic, expanding flows of energy. The cyclicity of patterns and phrases refers to minimalist traditions, but his music has little in common with something purely mathematical; using an approach to improvisation colored by his interests in jazz and the temporal expansion of rock jams, he charges harmonic sections with an intimate spontaneity and freedom without boundaries. These 14 "vaporous drawings," presented with photos and writings, evoke a primordial state of grace in the listener, in parallel to Emmanuel's contemporary ancestral work Wizards from 1982 (IMPREC 305CD). (This set contains two tracks that were initially included on the original Wizards release, but replaced by other tracks just before the final master.)

This CD reissue of JD Emmanuel's Wizards contains two tracks excluded from the original 1982 LP due to master tape problems. "Wizards was my first deep trance electronic music album. This album was inspired by Terry Riley, one of the earliest people ever to compose and perform long, extended, cyclic pieces in the electronic format. This music was composed and performed in '81 and '82. I consider this album my best work. The instrumentation is three Sequential Circuits PRO-1s, Crumar Traveler One, and a Yamaha SK-20, all real time recording to a Teac four-track reel-to-reel. I mixed the four tracks to a Teac A-7300 Master 2-Track tape recorder using a DeltaLab DL-2 to create the delay track. In 2006, I used a Tascam 34B 4-track to remaster all my master tapes to digital master of 196 KHz/24 bit .WAV files using Soundforge 8 software. The original Wizards LP was published in the Summer of 1982 with the black and white cover. The initial tracks had no names and were called Movements I-V. Several years later sales had slowed down, in an effort to improve sales we tried the color cover and I created names for each track." --JD Emmanuel

2015 repress of the 2011 reissue of the original 1986 cassette. Pressing of 400 copies on 180-gram vinyl in full-color thick cardboard sleeve. Created between 1981 and 1985 by JD Emmanuel, a new age composer who has received a lot of praise from people like Lieven Martens and John Olsen. These recordings signify Emmanuel's praise to the course of the day. Starting off slowly with morning synth meanderings, walking through midday, running in the evening, and closing the day with midnight meditation. "Somewhere hidden in the deepest part of the Self is that special place, where One can go within to the most ancient part of one's Self and connect with the origin of Self. Ancient Minimal Meditations reaches into that special place of creation of the Self and its Oneness with the Creator of All." Recorded using three Sequential Circuits Pro-One synthesizers and a Yamaha SK-20 Poly-Synthesizer. 100% analog sound. Mastered by JD Emmanuel.

Probably one of the most underestimate artists of electronic music from the early '80s, has been lately rediscovered. An expert modulator of electronic and natural sounds, with this work JD Emmanuel seems to recall and reflect extensively on the poetics of the cyclic and mantric sound investigated by other pioneers such as Terry Riley and La Monte Young. The microtonal patterns of the compositions are animated by dense and minimum pulses that amplify the hypnotic and meditative dimension and can be colored by Tibetan suggestions or guitar glissandi. Flows and reflections of sounds define abstract landscapes but remain always deeply reverent with nature and its micro-cosmic variations. In this way, Echoes from Ancient Caves is ideally connected to the previous experimentations of Rain Forest Music (1981) and Wizards (1982). 500 copies on black vinyl + a download link for the digital edition.

Restocked. Kudos to Lieven Martens of Dolphins Into The Future for bringing J.D. Emmanuel back into the spotlight. In 2007, Lieven dug up the masterpiece album Wizards and re-issued it on his own label. A few years later, in 2011, J.D. was asked to tour through Europe where he was accompanied by Dolphins Into The Future and Paul LaBrecque. Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, and Holland welcomed J.D. and the people attending the concerts knew they were in for an electronic blast from the past. This 2LP set covers the tour with a great deal of unreleased live tracks. The live recordings show J.D.'s phenomenal skill to create a universe of swirling and constantly turning sounds. He's up there in the big league of early electronic and new age pioneers with the likes of Iasos, Laurie Spiegel, and Trans-Millenia Consort. Some words from the man himself: "After my European tour, I decided to use the name Time Traveler to describe my music because it can put the listener into a state where time seems to disappear. This is my goal with my music, to create an altered state for expanding consciousness." With Hawaiian-inspired artwork, just like J.D.'s colorful character, and of course, his T-shirts. Includes a glossy double-sided insert. Mastered by J.D. Emmanuel. Pressed @ Handle With Care, Berlin. Limited edition of 500 copies.

"With so much being made of current practitioners of the kosmische/New Age vibe, here's your opportunity to hear an original. Copies from the original pressing rarely surface and even the 2007 repress (which sounded quite thin) commands quite a fee on internet auction sites. This straight analog pressing sounds as close to the original master tapes as you can get. 500 made. Pressed at RTI."
"Wizards was my first deep trance electronic music album. This album was inspired by Terry Riley , one of the earliest people ever to compose and perform long, extended, cyclic pieces in the electronic format. This music was composed and performed in '81 and '82. I consider this album my best work. The instrumentation is three Sequencial Circuits PRO-1s, Crumar Traveler One and a Yamaha SK-20, all real time recording to a Teac 4-track reel-to-reel. I mixed the four tracks to a Teac A-7300 Master 2-Track tape recorder using a DeltaLab DL-2 to create the delay track. In 2006, I used a Tascam 34B 4-track to remaster all my master tapes to digital master of 196 KHz/24 bit .WAV files using Soundforge 8 software. The original Wizards LP was published in the Summer of 1982 with the black and white cover. The initial tracks had no names and were called 'Movements I-V.' Several years later sales had slowed down. In an effort to improve sales we tried the color cover and I created names for each track..." -- J.D. Emmanuel

"JD Emmanuel's privately-pressed 1979 album Wizards accumulated a cult following through the early part of this decade, culminating with a vinyl reissue by Bread and Animals in 2006, which quickly sold out. Influenced by the organ works of Terry Riley and the kosmische school of Krautrock, and rendered with a uniquely personal warmth, Emmanuel's work stands out as something singular in the world of early basement electronics. Solid Dawn collects material from long out-of-print tapes, remastered for the first time, with participation from the artist at every stage. Featuring liner notes and photographs by Mr. Emmanuel, this is an essential release for anyone interested in the history of underground electronic music."